More than half of 26 randomly selected toys for pets sold in Taipei and New Taipei City were not properly labeled, while seven presented a choking hazard, the Consumers’ Foundation said yesterday, as it urged the government to set standards for pet toys.
To get an idea of the safety of pet toys, which are not regulated by specific laws in Taiwan, the foundation in December randomly selected 26 toys, including rubber balls, cat teaser wands and dental chew toys, from several pet shops to inspect.
The toys were examined to see if they conformed to the Commodity Labeling Act (商品標示法), as well as national standards for the safety of children’s toys and children’s products, Consumers’ Foundation chairman Terry Huang (黃怡騰) told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
The foundation found that 16 of the toys did not properly identify the name of the toy and its materials, or provide information on when, where and by which company it was manufactured.
This included five toys that did not have any labeling at all, the foundation said in its report.
Under the Commodity Labeling Act, local governments should inform manufacturers when they fail to properly label their products and set a deadline for manufacturers to rectify the issue.
Failure to do so can result in repeated fines of NT$20,000 to NT$200,000.
There were also seven toys that presented a choking hazard, while a toy shaped like a bone was found to have excessive amounts of plasticizers, the report said.
Nearly a quarter of the toy’s composition (22.9 percent) was diisononyl phthalate, well above the national standard for children’s toys, which allows no more than a 0.1 percent concentration of eight types of plasticizers combined, the report said.
A similar report produced by the foundation in 2016 found that only 12 percent (three out of 25) of pet toy products had proper labeling, compared with 38.5 percent (10 out of 26) in the new report, Huang said.
This shows that pet toy manufacturers still are not familiar with labeling regulations, which needs to be improved immediately, Huang said.
He also called on the government to establish standards for pet toys, as statistics show that the number of pets in Taiwan could reach a record high 3 million this year.
The foundation advised owners to choose toys that are the right size for their pets to prevent choking and to stop using toys when they begin to fall apart.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS